Maybe we should say it is the new silver which has long been the go-to hue in the car business. Still, the connection between cars and the fashion industry — where you can rarely go wrong with black – has much to do with the emergence of orange as a common color for cars.

Chevrolet said Inferno Orange is the second-most-requested color for its Sonic hatchback, right behind black. It accounts for nearly one in five dealer orders and, the car maker says, marks a new trend in the subcompact market.